I get asked this question all the time: “what is tahini?” My answer is usually, “if you’ve had hummus, then you’ve had tahini. If you’ve had falafel (it tends to be a bit dry, so you add a sauce), that’s tahini.” At farmer’s markets and while doing food demos at Whole Foods around New England, I often tell people that “Tahini is the best part of the hummus.” Chickpeas are amazing but not very tasty. You need a few other key ingredients to really make the hummus pop — good tahini as well as fresh lemon and a bit of salt. 

The recipe below is from our recently launched (my mother’s favorite product) Just Amazing Tahini Dressing. Feel free to use it as a sauce for your favorite meat, a dip for your favorite veggie, or add it to any salad as a dressing! It pairs well with Israeli salad, of course. You can also use it as a dip for challah on Shabbat!

A Couple of Things to Keep in Mind About Tahini

First, not all tahini is the same quality. The quality will significantly affect the end result’s taste, flavor, and consistency. A few brands I recommend are Soom, Mighty Sesame, and Al Kanatar.

Second, once mixed, the consistency will be a bit liquidy – that is ok. It will thicken a bit in the fridge, especially after a few days.  

Just Amazing Tahini Dressing Recipe

The recipe below is a simplified version of Just Hummus’ Staple Tahini dressing you can find in local grocery stores throughout New England. Feel free to alter, increase or decrease the amount of lemon juice based on your taste. However, you’ll need to remember to balance the salt with the lemon juice. For instance, if you add more lemon juice, you’ll need more salt.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tahini paste
  • Juice of 1-2 lemons
  • 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 pinches of kosher salt
  • 1 dash of white pepper

Directions

In a blender, add in this order the tahini paste, lemon juice, water, olive oil, kosher salt, and white pepper. Blend until smooth. You may want to add more water and/or lemon juice based on the consistency.

More About Colin Daly and His Company Just Hummus

Before starting Just Hummus, Colin participated in a Birthright Israel after his sister encouraged him to sign up. He went on the trip with an open mind and left Israel inspired by the people, culture, and most of all, the flavors. Years after his trip, Colin’s father, a Holocaust survivor, passed away, and he felt a desire to explore his Jewish identity further. So he signed for Masa Israel Teaching Fellows and moved to Rahat, Israel, a predominantly Beduion city located in the Negev. There he taught English to underprivileged children for nearly a year. During his free time, Colin would explore the local cuisine, which consisted of a lot of hummus. This is what inspired him to start Just Hummus. Today, the company sells to over 150 local stories in New England.

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